Laurel – Helping Hands Disconnected Youth failed to meet the following targets by the end of the FY 19:

•  PM: Number of youth recruited
•  PM: Number of youth served 
• PM: Number/Percent of youth who are re-engaged in school or participating in job readiness classes   
• PM: Number/Percent of youth who participated in the Life Skills Workshops      

The provider attempted to provide services in re-engaged youth in school or gear them towards job readiness classes. The provider struggled in recruiting 70 youth; as a result, it failed to serve the required  50 youth. 

One of the critical challenges in recruiting and serving targeted youth was due to the program being located in the wrong location as participants described finding transportation "difficult".  Transportation for targeted youth, especially living in the poverty level, was challenging. As they either have to rely on public transportations or wait for their parents or loved ones to pick them or drop them off depending on their available working schedule. Majority of these families, especially working with a high level of Hispanic-Latin community, parents of these youth would work until late in the evening at a further distance to Laurel's Disconnected Youth Program.  Due to these challenges, Laurel's I am Plugged Program failed to meet the targeted numbers of youth. As a result, Laure's Youth and Family Service Bureau will not participate in the FY20 GOC Disconnected Youth Programs. 

Laurel Helping Hands Disconnected Youth program provides weekly teen enrichment activities including job readiness workshops, career exploration, digital literacy instruction, and leadership and self-development skills.

The services include; disconnected youth life skills programing, job readiness skills such as interviewing and resume writing, as well as job coaching. In addition, the Laurel Helping Hands YSB works with the Prince George's County Public School  Pupil Personnel Workers to reconnect youth to school who are 16-18. Laurel Helping Hands has partnered with the Laurel Regional Workforce Center to identify employment for youth ages 18-24.  

The Laurel Helping Hands YSB targets 50 disconnected youth who are between the ages of 16 and 24 who are neither working nor in school. The target population includes youth transitioning from foster care, juvenile justice facilities, homeless youth, and youth who are returning from college, youth with disabilities, and habitually truant youth who are enrolled in school but do not attend. The Laurel YSB recruits disconnected youth from the Laurel faith-based community, habitually truant youth through school Pupil Personnel Workers (PPW’s), the Laurel community center, and other community businesses.